Door latch



June 2, 1925. 1,540,525

O. A. ANDERSON DOOR LATCH Filed Oct. 21, v1922 0- 11.11 nderJ on.

Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STA OLAF A. ANDERSON,

0F HAMILTON, OHIO.

DOOR LATCH.

Application filed October 21, 1922. Serial No. 595,945.

To all 2072 am it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLAF A. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hamilton, county of Butler, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Latches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to door latches especially adapted for use in. connection with motor vehicle doors and more particularly the invention relates to the keeper or strike plate to be used in connection with' door latches. It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a keeper or strike plate that maybe readily substituted for the conventional strike plate now used so that the spring pressure behind the door latch may be utilized to hold the door firmly against the stop and thereby prevent rattling.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a device of this character that will be somewhat simpler and less expensive and better adapted to quantity production than the device for the same purpose disclosed in my Patent No. 1,426,445 issued August 22, 1922.

Otherobjects of the invention and the features of novelty will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is aplan view of a fragment of a vehicle door and the adjacent part of the body, certain parts being shown in section;

2 is a side elevation of the strike plate and door shown in Fig. 1, the parts being illustrated a's'seen from the left of Fig. 1, with the adjacent portion of, the body omitted; and

ig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates a fragment of the vehicle body and 11 a fragment of a door which is adapted to close against a stop 12 on the body. A latch is diagrammatically indicated at 13 and a spring for pressing the latch outwardly is indicated at 14. It will be understood that the parts 13 and 14 simply represent the corresponding parts of any of the usual door latches. A keeper or strike plate is indicated at15 and is provided with the usual abutments 16 and 17 with which the latch 13 is adapted to cooperate for retainin the door 11 in the closed or partially close positions, as is customary in motor vehicle practice. A T-slot 18 is rovided in the reverse side of the strike p ate and a rectangular block 19 is slidably arranged in this slot, to and from engagement with the latch 13. A pair of lugs 20 is also arranged on the reverse side of the strike plate and these lugs carry a pivot pin 21 on which there is mounted a three-arm lever 22 made up of a series of laminations, as best shown in Fig. 3. The three arms of these laminations comprise one which is adapted to be engaged by the latch 13, as indicated at 23, one which projects into a slot or opening 24 in the block 19, as indicated at 25, and the arm 26 which is engaged by a flat spring 27 that is secured by a rivet 28 to the strike plate 15.

In the operation of, the device, when the door 11 is closed against the stop 12, the latch 13 is forced outwardly from the door into engagement with the abutment 16 and the arms 23 of the laminations of the lever 22, the force of the spring 14 actuating this lever, against the tension of the spring 27 and thereby moving the block 19 outwardly against the latch 13 and thus firmly holding the door against the stop 12. From Fig. 1 it will be apparent that the spring 14- is utilized to retain the door against the stop 12, the tension of the spring 27. which opposes the spring 14, being only sufficient to insure the return of the block 19 when the latch 13 is withdrawn from engagement with the abutment 16. 4

By making the lever 22 of laminations the cost of manufacture is considerably re duced as compared with. having this lever in one solid piece and a better contact with the latch 23 is secured because of the relative adjustment of the laminations to suit the end of the latch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a strike plate for door latches, a member carried thereby and slidable transversely of the direction of move ment of the latch into engagement with the latter, a member pivoted on said plate and having three arms one of which coo crates with said latch and another of which actuates said slidable member, and a spring having one end secured to said plate and its other end cooperating with the third of said arms of the second-mentioned member.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a strike plate for door latches, a member carried thereby and slid able transversely of the direction of movement of the latch into engagement with the latter, a member comprising a plurality of independently movable laminations pivoted on said plate and each of which has three arms one of said arms cooperating with said latch and another of which actuates said slidable member, and a spring having one end secured to said plate and its other end cooperating with the third of said arms on said laminations.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a strike plate for door latches having a T-slot in its reverse side, a rectangular block slidable in said slot into engagement with the latch and having an open mg for an actuating means, a member pivoted on said plate and having three arms one of which cooperates with said latch and another of which cooperates with said opening to actuate said block, and a spring having one end secured to said plate and its other end cooperating with the third of said arms of said member to oppose the movement of said member by the latch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

OLAF A. ANDERSON. 

